Wicket and method of construction

ABSTRACT

A wicket construction with the chain pin and wicket tubes attached to the rest bar and each other by two weld or brazed joints, one on the backside of the wicket above the rest bar and the other also on the backside through a slotted hole in the center of the rest bar.

United States Patent [72] lnventors John A. Karpac North Royalton, Ohio; Richard S. Thrasher, East Aurora, N.Y. [211 App]. No. 784,793 [22] Filed Dec. 18, 1968 [45] Patented Mar. 30, 1971 [73] Assignee FECO, A Division of Bangor Punta Operations, Inc. Bangor, Maine [54] WICKET AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION 6 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S. Cl 198/134, 29/ l 55 [51] Int. Cl B65g 17/16 [50] Field otSearch 198/134;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,821,286 1/1958 Russell 198/134 3,206,007 9/1965 Phi1ips..... 198/134 3,462,818 8/1969 Moon 29/155 Primary Examiner-Evon C. Blunk Assistant Examiner-Alfred N. Goodman Attorney0berlin, Maky, Donelly and Renner ABSTRACT: A wicket construction with the chain pin and wicket tubes attached to the rest bar and each other by two weld or brazed joints, one on the backside of the wicket above the rest bar and the other also on the backside through a slotted hole in the center of the rest bar.

, IN VENTOR S JOHN A. KARPAC ATTORNEYS RICHARD .5. THRASHER 45.5- PRIOR ART Pa tented March 30 1971 WICIQIET AND METHOD OF (ZONSTRUCTION DISCLOSURE This invention relates generally to an improvement in wickets of he type seen in US. Pat. No. 2,821,286 to Russell and to a method of construction of such wicket requiring less time in assembly and providing a wicket in which the chain pin has less bending or movement in the clearance hole of the rest bar.

The presently employed method of fastening the end wires or tubes and each chain pin to the one-piece rest bar or bottom crossbar requires approximately eight individual welds or brazes. This method of construction requires considerable time for the welding or brazing operation and yet still produces a wicketin which the wicket or chain pins are quite unstable. Moreover, such joints on the face or front of the wicket require a finishing or grinding operation since otherwise sheets carried by the wickets might be damaged.

With such prior wickets, when a load is imposed on the face of the wicket during operation, the wicket pin, thepin by which the wicket is attached to a continuous chain, will bend beyond the weld or braze joints and within the clearance hole in the rest bar through which the pin extends. The bending of the pin not only creates fatigue wear but also provides an unstable wicket which can affect the efficiency of the loading and unloading as well as the movement of the sheet material through an oven or the like. Moreover, since the lower edge of the sheet material is supported adjacent the pin and its clearance hole in the rest bar, movement of the pin within the clearance hole can pinch or rub the edge of the sheet causing damage.

It is accordingly a principal object of the present invention to provide a wicket having the wicket pin more stably connected thereto and thus a more stable wicket in operation.

Another principal object is the provision of a method for constructing wickets which is more economical and requires less time to attach the pin to the wicket.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawing setting forth in detail a certain illustrative embodiment of the invention, this being indicative, however, of but one of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed.

In said annexed drawing:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a wicket in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal section taken substantially on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section taken substantially on the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary vertical section through the pin taken substantially on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2 illustrating the prior art; and

MG. 6 is a view taken substantially on the line 6-6 of FIG. 5, also showing such prior art.

Referring now to the drawing in more detail and particularly to PEG. 1, it will be seen that the wicket 10 includes a tubular or wire frame 11 which extends upwardly from rest bar 12 extending across the lower end of the wicket. The tubular frame 11 includes two main tubular members 13 and 14 which are connected to the rest bar at one end at 15 and 16, respectively, and which are joined at 17. The tubular members then separate to form an opening generally shown at 18 of such configuration to clear the belts of a feed or takeoff conveyor. The tubular members 13 and 14 then extend along the top of the wicket and are bent backwardly to form the sides of the wicket, the opposite ends of such tubular members being secured to the outer edgesof the rest bar 12 as indicated at 19 and 26, respectively. Transverse bracing tubular members 22 and 23 are secured between the inner and outer portions of the respective tubular members 13 and 1 1. Also, diagonal strut tubes 24 and 25 extend from the outer ends of the rest bar to be secured to the tubular members 113 and 14$ at 26 and 27, respectively.

The tubular members 24 and 25 are slightly spaced from the tubular members 13 and 14 at the point of connection to the rest bar and chain or wicket pins 29 and 36 are secured therebetween. The pins are employed to secure the wicket to a chain conveyor as seen more clearly in the above noted US. Pat. No. 2,821,286.

As seen more clearly in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the rest bar extending transversely of the wicket at the bottom thereof includes a rearwardly projecting rib or channel 32 serving as a reinforcement. The channel is located in the middle of the rest bar. The rest bar also includes sheet supporting clips formed integrally therewith which project toward the front or face of the wicket as shown at 33, 34, 35 and 36 in FIG. 1. These clips support the lower edge of a sheet S as seen in FIG. 1 against the face or front of the wicket. The wickets are spaced one from another with the ,sheets supported in the manner indicated, and spacers 38 at the top of the wicket are provided to maintain such desired spaced-apart relation.

The clips may be formed integrally with the rest bar and include forwardly and upwardly projecting arms 40 which retain the lower edge of the sheet S against the face of the conveyor wicket. Projections 41 are provided at the base of the arms as seen in FIG. 41 to provide a tight engagement with the lower edge of the sheet, such lower edge being in effect wedged between the projection and the adjacent tubes and wicket pins.

The bottom of the end clips 33 and 36 is provided with an oversize hole 412 through which the pins 29 and 30 project. Such pins are provided with a top chamber seen at 44 and a hole 45 is drilled in the top of such pins. At the bottom, the pins are provided with a transverse hole 36 to facilitate attachment to the chain conveyor.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, it will be seen that the prior method of fastening the end tubes and chain pin to the onepiece rest bar required an elongated pin 48, which may be substantially longer than the pin 30, and eight individual welds or brazes. Welds or brazes were provided above the rest bar 12 between the pin 48 and the adjacent tubes 25 and 14, both front and back as indicated at 49, 50, 51 and 52. Welds or brazes were also provided between the tubes 25 and 14 and the rest bar above and below the rib 32 as indicated at 53, 54, 55 and 56. This form of attachment of the wicket pin to the wicket permitted the wicket pin to bend within the clearance hole 42 in the rest clip when a load was imposed on the face of the wicket. This produced not only an unstable wicket, but caused bending or pinching of the lower edge of the sheet S as supported on the rest clip.

The improved wicket construction and method of joining the conveyor pin to the wicket is illustrated more clearly in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. A slotted hole 60 is provided in the rib 32 of the rest bar 12, such hole being horizontally elongated and bridging the pin 30 as well as the tubes 25 and 14. Now with one weld or braze indicated at 61 on the lower edge of the aperture 60, the pin is joined not only to the rest bar, but also to the adjacent tubes 25 and 14. The adjacent tubes are also by this weld or braze joined to the rest bar. A second weld or braze 62 is provided on the backside of the wicket above the rest bar. This weld or braze is of a general U-shape configuration again joining the top of the pin to the top edge of the rest bar as well as to the adjacent tubes 25 and M. The tubes are also joined to the rest bar by this braze or weld. In this manner, the length of the pin 30 may be substantially shortened, projecting approximately only one-half inch above the top edge of the rest bar 12. The two vertically spaced welds or brazes substantially reduce the bending movement of the pin 30 thereby substantially eliminating the wicket pin bending and moving-in the clearance hole 62 in the rest bar. With the improved method, there is, of course, less time required for the welding or brazing operation so that the wicket may be produced more economically but still have improved characteristics.

Other modes of applying the principles of the invention may be employed, change being made as regards the details described, provided the features stated in any of the following claims or the equivalent of such be employed.

We claim:

1. A wicket having an upstanding frame, a rest bar extending across the bottom of said frame including forwardly projecting rest clips for the edge of a sheet and the like carried by said wicket, a conveyor pin extending downwardly from said rest bar through a rest clip and being adjacent and parallel to a portion of said frame, an aperture in the back of said rest bar adjacent to and bridging said pin and frame portion, and a weld or braze joint joining said pin to said rest bar and said frame portion along an edge of said aperture 2. A wicket as set forth in claim 1 wherein said frame is tubular, said pin extending between and adjacent to two tubes of said frame, said pin being thus joined to both adjacent tubes along an edge of said aperture.

3. A wicket as set forth in claim 1 wherein said pin is similarly joined to said rest bar at the top of the latter in addition to along the edge of said aperture.

4. A wicket as set forth in claim 1 wherein said frame is of tubular construction, said aperture bridging said pin and ad jacent parallel tubes of said tubular frame with said weld or braze joint along the lower edge of said aperture joining said tubes to said pin and to said rest bar.

5. A wicket as set forth in claim 3 wherein said last mentioned joint includes a weld or braze extending between said pin and said adjacent frame portion.

6. A wicket as set forth in claim 5 wherein both joints are on the backside of the wicket. 

1. A wicket having an upstanding frame, a rest bar extending across the bottom of said frame including forwardly projecting rest clips for the edge of a sheet and the like carried by said wicket, a conveyor pin extending downwardly from said rest bar through a rest clip and being adjacent and parallel to a portion of said frame, an aperture in the back of said rest bar adjacent to and bridging said pin and frame portion, and a weld or braze joint joining said pin to said rest bar and said frame portion along an edge of said aperture.
 2. A wicket as set forth in claim 1 wherein said frame is tubular, said pin extending between and adjacent to two tubes of said frame, said pin being thus joined to both adjacent tubes along an edge of said aperture.
 3. A wicket as set forth in claim 1 wherein said pin is similarly joined to said rest bar at the top of the latter in addition to along the edge of said aperture.
 4. A wicket as set forth in claim 1 wherein said frame is of tubular construction, said aperture bridging said pin and adjacent parallel tubes of said tubular frame with said weld or braze joint along the lower edge of said aperture joining said tubes to said pin and to said rest bar.
 5. A wicket as set forth in claim 3 wherein said last mentioned joint includes a weld or braze extending between said pin and said adjacent frame portion.
 6. A wicket as set forth in claim 5 wherein both joints are on the backside of the wicket. 